【Chic & Savory】Big Name Parisian Dining, 18 by Frederic Anton

Ever Wondered What a 3 Michelin Star Menu in Paris is Like?

Credit: Brandon McGhee

The Place

Less than a year after L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon's 2023 closure, Chef Frédéric Anton came to the Bund in January to stand in the gap with 18. And while he doesn't bring as many Michelin stars in tow as his predecessor did (six years after his death, Robuchon still holds the record at 31), Anton was a logical choice to pick up the baton. Anton is a scion of Robuchon's culinary lineage, having worked under him for seven years at Jamin, his first restaurant.

He is also a celebrated chef in his own right. In 1999 he joined the ranks of titans like Robuchon and Paul Bocuse when he became a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a vaunted title awarded every four years to French chefs at the pinnacle of their trade. It bestows upon them the privilege to wear that red, white, and blue collar on their coats. He has also been awarded six stars at three landmark restaurants in Paris: three at Le Pré Catelan, two at Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower, and one at Don Juan II, which holds the distinction of being the city's only Michelin-starred restaurant on a yacht.

So, yeah. The man is no slouch.

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  Credit: Brandon McGhee
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  Credit: Brandon McGhee

The Space

The décor is a marked improvement from its previous incarnation. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, with its dark wood tones black and red color scheme, effectively sucked up all available light. Despite the floor-to-ceiling windows, the place always felt claustrophobic. 18, by contrast, feels bright, warm, and open. Classic meets contemporary with white wainscoted walls, pastel-colored paintings, and the occasional splash of mustard yellow and apple green upholstery.

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The Mood

The place carries with it all the trappings of aspiring Michelin stardom. Jazz wafts from the speakers. The servers are friendly-yet-formal. They bring each course to your table with an understated flourish. In an open kitchen, toque-topped cooks ply their trade quietly and methodically. All you'll hear is the occasional sizzle from a stove or the digital beep of a kitchen timer.

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The Food

In terms of concept, technique, and presentation, Anton isn't breaking any new ground here. You won't find any of those "unexpected flavor combinations," "deconstructions," or "playful reinterpretations" that chefs often employ just to tickle the erogenous zones of food writers and influencers.

Instead, he applies a simple formula: Use great ingredients and let them shine. In an industry that is so saturated with hero worship and culinary gimmickry, it's a refreshing and welcome approach.

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Amuse bouches speak of a singular talent for packing maximum flavor into the smallest of packages. His smoked salmon is presented paper-thin on a plank of crisp flatbread. It's smaller than a stick of chewing gum, yet it explodes on the palate with rich smokiness and umami. Another tiny bite, a dollop of eggplant caviar, is so intense, it's like he somehow distilled it down to its essence. For a delicate crunch, it's topped with a phyllo-like crisp embossed with a slice of eggplant thin enough to see through.

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With each successive course, flavors are expressed as clearly as they are printed on the menu. A stracciatella tartlet is topped with fresh peas and pearls of caviar painstakingly tweezed into place. Each element just sings – the brittle crunch of the tart shell, the rich creaminess of the cheese, the tiny bubble bursts of sweetness and salinity.

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In another course, thimble-sized knobs of white asparagus are lovingly smothered in a bright, lemony miso escabeche. It's perfect. Anything more than a sprinkle of lemon zest on top would be overkill.

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Anton's spring flavors prove especially suited to seafood. He serves crab underneath a dome of apple and vanilla-scented foam topped with a dollop of caviar in a small pool of olive oil. The apple and vanilla highlight the crab's delicate sweetness as the olive oil adds weight and mouthfeel. And the caviar? That's just a luxurious salt substitute.

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Then there's his langoustine "ravioli." Served with foie gras and a gelee "ravioli skin" that is speckled with black truffle shavings, it's a borderline fine dining cliché. But even a masterfully executed cliché can be delicious, and this dish certainly is.

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For dessert, offerings are as traditional as a chocolate ganache tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or as contemporary as a crystalline globe of sugar filled with crumbled sablé biscuits, strawberries, and basil sorbet. Both are quite tasty.

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The Damage

Quite a lot, but considering the address and the name recognition, this should come as no surprise. For dinner, a six-course tasting menu will set you back 1588 yuan (add 988 yuan for wine pairings). The eight-course version goes for 2,288 yuan (add 1,188 yuan for wine pairings). For 10 courses, you'll spend 2,888 yuan (add 1,388 yuan for wine pairings). Lunch is a slightly more economical option – four courses for 888 yuan (add 388 yuan for wine pairings). Tack an additional 10 percent to all the above for an obligatory service charge. No a la carte options are available.

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  We won't name the game of each dish. Go there, and for some surprises yourself...

Good For

Birthdays, anniversaries, and really big apologies.

Credit: Brandon McGhee